| NGC 502 | |
| Upright: | 1.35 |
| Epoch: | J2000[1] |
| Ra: | [2] |
| Constellation Name: | Pisces[3] |
| Type: | S0 |
| Appmag B: | 13.7 |
| Appmag V: | 12.7 |
| H Radial V: | (2472 ± 49) km/s |
| Dist Ly: | 113 Mly[4] |
| Z: | 0.008279 ± 0.000163 |
| Size V: | 1.1' × 1.0' |
| Names: | [5] |
NGC 502, also occasionally referred to as PGC 5034 or UGC 922, is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Pisces.[3] It is located approximately 113 million light-years from the Solar System[4] and was discovered on 25 September 1862 by German astronomer Heinrich Louis d'Arrest.[5] When the Morphological Catalogue of Galaxies was published between 1962 and 1974, the identifications of NGC 502 and NGC 505 were reversed. In reality, NGC 502 is equal to MGC +01-04-041 and not MCG +01-04-043 as noted in the catalogue.[6]
Arrest discovered NGC 502 using an 11" reflecting telescope in Copenhagen. His position, which he measured on four separate nights, matches with both UGC 922 and PGC 5034.[6] John Louis Emil Dreyer, creator of the New General Catalogue, described the galaxy as "considerably bright, small, round, brighter middle and nucleus".[5]